Damian Lillard’s incredible performance at the 2024 Starry 3-Point Contest left fans in a frenzy as he captured his second straight title in dramatic fashion at Lucas Oil Stadium. The contest featured some of the NBA’s top sharpshooters, including 2022 3-point contest winner Karl-Anthony Towns, Tyrese Haliburton, and Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young.
The contest took place at Lucas Oil Stadium, and it was the first time in the event’s history that it was held in this venue. The 2024 Starry 3-point Contest consisted of four racks containing five balls each placed in four locations around the 3-point line. Each rack held four official NBA game balls worth one point each, in addition to one multi-colored money ball, which netted two points for a shooter.
Young set the bar high from the very beginning, scoring an impressive 26 points in the opening round, which ended with him tied with Lillard, Haliburton, and Towns. This led to a 30-second tiebreaker to determine the finalists.
The all-money-ball rack, first introduced six years ago, contained five multi-colored money balls worth two points apiece that could be placed anywhere around the 3-point line. Young knocked down every shot on his all-money-ball racks in the opening round and the 30-second tiebreaker that eliminated Haliburton from advancing to the finals. Young’s first miss on the all-money-ball rack didn’t come until his final shot of the competition.
In the final round, Lillard found himself in a tense situation, needing to sink his last shot to win the championship. After nailing four buckets in a row on the second-to-last rack of balls, he headed to the final rack needing one more basket for the victory. However, he missed his next four shots off the rim from the corner as time ticked away, leaving fans on the edge of their seats.
Finally, on Lillard’s final heave, he hit the shot, securing the win and becoming the first back-to-back 3-point champion since 2008. Lillard also sank one of the two “Starry” balls, located on pedestals deep behind the 3-point line on both sides of the middle rack. Those basketballs, worth three points each, sat approximately 30 feet from the hoop.
Lillard’s victory marks a significant achievement, as he becomes the NBA’s first back-to-back 3-point contest champion since Jason Kapono, who won in 2007 and 2008. Other players who have achieved this feat include Larry Bird, Craig Hodges, Mark Price, and Peja Stojakovic.
